One final factor—
Zhao Qingluo had simply caught the right timing.
The conflict between the righteous and demonic sects, for cultivators from family clans, was both a crisis and an opportunity.
Clans like the Xiyue Zhao Clan, despite being Golden Core clans, didn’t lack the heritage or ans to cultivate more Foundation Establishnt cultivators—or even to raise another Golden Core Patriarch.
But in ordinary tis, for the sake of sustainable long-term developnt, these clans wouldn’t exhaust their reserves just to boost their current strength.
Now that righteous and demonic sects were at war, one wrong move could an the fall of the entire clan.
In such a volatile situation, it was only natural to dip into their reserves and raise more Foundation Establishnt cultivators—and perhaps even new Golden Core cultivators. That would be the most logical path forward.
And Zhao Qingluo—
Was very likely one of the Zhao Clan’s internal picks for that “Golden Core candidate” role.
…
Realizing that he had unknowingly grown close to a future Golden Core cultivator, Wei Tu couldn’t help but reveal a faint smile.
He knew better than anyone how important connections were.
This ti, he had been able to safely leave the Heshan Huang Clan, and then stay hidden in the mundane world of Nanhang City to carry out his trades with Gong Shuzhen—all thanks to those connections.
As for hiding and cultivating in the i Clan’s estate on Xia Ya Ridge…
That was thanks to his son Wei Xiuwen’s connections.
“Earth Dragon Flesh boosts a cultivator’s blood and qi—it’s a body refining treasure.”
“This natural treasure is especially effective when cultivating the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art. But for the True Demon Refinent Art... I doubt the effect would be all that noticeable…”
After pondering briefly, Wei Tu opened the jade box containing the Earth Dragon Flesh, then began cultivating the body refinent art according to the ridian circulation described in the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art.
He planned to fully cultivate the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art first, before moving on to study the True Demon Refinent Art.
The order in which one practiced body refinent arts was important.
While the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art might seem average, it was steady and safe—and even boosted the chances of forming a Golden Core.
Once his decision was made, Wei Tu swept his sleeve and drew out a chunk of Earth Dragon Flesh from the jade box. He swallowed it, wrapping it in his qi, and began refining the dicinal power slowly.
Not long after, his skin turned a deep red—like a prawn just boiled in hot water. At the sa ti, his blood and qi surged like roaring rivers, producing a thunderous “crash-crash” sound inside his body.
That sound—
Was a sign that his blood and qi had reached the boiling point.
As Wei Tu turned his senses inward and examined his body, he saw that with the flow of blood through his ridians, a faint glow of red light had appeared across his limbs and bones.
Although the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art focused mainly on forging one’s qi and blood like a body cultivator, it also brought a proportional enhancent to physical strength.
“This pain is hard to endure, sure, but compared to the agony of training the Marrow Refining Sutra back in my martial days, it’s still not quite as bad,” Wei Tu murmured as he pulled out a Tranquility Talisman and stuck it to his chest.
Having co from a martial arts background, he had endured brutal tornt during his early training. The pain he felt now while refining his body was no worse than what he’d endured back then.
Three days later.
Wei Tu’s skin finally returned to normal. He exhaled deeply, beads of sweat rolling in waves across his forehead.
“I’ll continue training after so rest. Just like qi cultivation, body refinent also requires consistent, day-by-day accumulation. You can’t expect overnight results.”
Recalling the training insights Fu Zhizhou had once given him, Wei Tu halted his practice of the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art.
“I’ve already started cultivating this art. I wonder if it’s been recorded in the Golden-Purple Destiny Seal yet?”
Wei Tu sank his consciousness into his spiritual sea and examined the characters imprinted on his destiny.
Soon enough, among the many lines of script, he found the five characters for Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art.
“Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art (2/100): Train once every five days, reach mastery in one hundred fifty years.”
“Once every five days?”
“So that’s the optimal training frequency based on my current body?” Wei Tu mused.
The Golden-Purple Destiny could assess his body constitution and spiritual root aptitude, then display on the golden seal how long it would take to reach full mastery of each technique, along with the best frequency of training.
Of course, the timing didn’t account for external factors.
“If I fully master the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art, I’ll be as physically strong as a Foundation Establishnt peak cultivator.”
“To think I’d only need a hundred fifty years to reach that…”
“Looks like my spiritual root aptitude has improved a bit again lately.”
Wei Tu quietly analyzed this.
Progress in body refinent was closely tied to spiritual root quality.
Despite having no background in body cultivation, if he could reach the peak of Foundation Establishnt body cultivation in just one hundred fifty years…
Then reaching the peak of Foundation Establishnt in qi cultivation would probably take even less ti.
Next—
Wei Tu didn’t waste any more ti. He pulled out one of the Ice Crystal Pills he’d gotten from his trade with Gong Shuzhen and swallowed it, beginning to refine its dicinal power.
Three years passed in a flash.
After refining two boxes of Earth Dragon Flesh, Wei Tu’s Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art quickly reached Minor Accomplishnt in a short span of ti, and he successfully condensed the first “Blood Pellet.”
With that Blood Pellet, his body cultivation realm officially stepped into early second rank—equivalent to early Foundation Establishnt.
“There’s still two boxes of Earth Dragon Flesh left. But with just these, I might only be able to push my body cultivation to the peak of second rank early stage. Condensing a second Blood Pellet will still be a stretch.”
Wei Tu stared at the dwindling supply of Earth Dragon Flesh in his hand, his expression gradually turning serious.
The Earth Dragon Flesh turned out to be even more effective than he had anticipated.
However, his progress in body cultivation had relied entirely on the Earth Dragon Flesh. Bitter cultivation only played a minimal role…
Because of that, even with four boxes of Earth Dragon Flesh, he could at most push his cultivation to the peak of second rank early stage.
Of course—
If given enough ti…
Another twenty to thirty years…
Wei Tu figured he could definitely break through to mid-second rank in body cultivation.
“But… what I lack now is ti,” he sighed, shaking his head.
The reason he chose to dual cultivate with body refinent was to quickly increase his combat strength in the shortest ti possible—strengthen his ans of survival.
To prepare for the chaotic state of Zheng Kingdom’s current situation.
But body cultivation at early second rank would hardly offer much help in a real battle.
After all, his current realm was already mid-Foundation Establishnt.
“Still, Earth Dragon Flesh isn’t the only kind of natural treasure that helps boost body cultivation…”
Wei Tu rubbed his chin, and thought of the Jiu Yun rchant Guild he had co across during his ti at Danqiu Mountain.
If he rembered correctly, in another year or two, it would be ti for the underground auction the Jiu Yun rchant Guild held once every twenty years.
The last ti he had attended the auction—
He had gained quite a lot.
He’d obtained the forging thod of the Ice Jiao Sword, and information about the Iron Magnetic Spirit Wood.
Both of those things had greatly helped him on his cultivation path.
This ti, by participating in the underground auction, he could not only sell off so of the loot he’d acquired during his “kill-and-loot” spree in the Cloud Ze Secret Realm—but also perhaps gain access to natural treasures similar to Earth Dragon Flesh, or at least information about them.
However, just as he was pondering what loot to sell that wouldn’t draw attention from the Jiu Yun rchant Guild—
A ssage talisman suddenly landed in front of him.
“Xiuwen reached Foundation Establishnt?”
Wei Tu picked up the talisman. After reading the contents, a smile spread across his face.
Three years ago, when he was temporarily residing in the spiritual land of the i Clan at Xia Ya Ridge, Wei Xiuwen had also chosen to enter closed-door cultivation in that sa spiritual land to attempt breaking through to Foundation Establishnt.
Now, after three full years—
Wei Xiuwen had succeeded in his cultivation and smoothly broken through.
Finishing the ssage, Wei Tu flicked his sleeve, opened the door of his cultivation chamber, and stepped out.
“Senior Wei.”
Two i Clan cultivators who were stationed outside to guard the door bowed with respect when they saw Wei Tu exit his closed-door cultivation.
Tis had changed.
Things were no longer like they were decades ago.
Back then, when Wei Xiuwen had married i Zhen and beco a son-in-law of the i Clan, he was constantly humiliated by the i Clan’s direct descendants. There was no end to the slights.
But now—
Everything had changed.
The Wei Clan now boasted three Foundation Establishnt cultivators under one roof. Their reputation was so grand, it didn’t pale in comparison to the i Clan even in its most glorious days.
Three years ago, when Wei Tu ca to reside at the i Clan, Clan Head i Yuanfeng had treated him with such deference it was almost comical—more like a supplicant than a fellow in-law.
Seeing all this, Wei Tu rely nodded slightly and stepped onto a ray of flying light, heading toward the i Clan’s Ancestral Hall.
“My good in-law,” i Yuanfeng hurried out to greet him the mont Wei Tu landed outside the hall.
“Now that Xiuwen has successfully reached Foundation Establishnt, both your son and daughter have beco Foundation Establishnt cultivators.”
“Such a scene is rare—even among Golden Core clans and great sects!”
With a bright smile, i Yuanfeng led Wei Tu to sit inside the hall, personally pouring him a cup of spiritual tea.
“It’s all just good luck. When I heard about Yan’er’s breakthrough after returning from the secret realm, I was just as stunned—I didn’t believe it at first.”
Wei Tu waved it off with modesty.
Three Foundation Establishnts in one family—
It might be uncommon in Zheng Kingdom’s cultivation world, but it wasn’t unheard of either.
There were quite a few cases if you counted carefully.
For example, Huang Changshun of the Heshan Huang Clan—he and his two daughters were also considered a family of three Foundation Establishnt cultivators.
After all, for powerful clans or sects, Foundation Establishnt Pills weren’t exactly rare or hard to obtain.
“Yan’er might’ve been lucky, sure—but for you and Xiuwen to both reach Foundation Establishnt, that’s not just luck.”
A glimr of envy flickered in i Yuanfeng’s eyes as he sighed emotionally.
His words weren’t suggesting that Wei Tu and Wei Xiuwen had relied on so kind of mysterious fortune to achieve Foundation Establishnt—
Rather, it was an acknowledgnt of Wei Tu’s strength.
Of the three Foundation Establishnt cultivators in the Wei family, aside from Wei Yan whose breakthrough involved so luck, both Wei Tu and Wei Xiuwen had clear paths leading up to their breakthroughs.
Wei Tu reached Foundation Establishnt thanks to his investnt in Kou Hongying, that Foundation Establishnt cultivator from the sect, and the returns that brought.
Wei Xiuwen, on the other hand, broke through because of the benefits his father Wei Tu had gained from the Cloud Ze Secret Realm.
These two reasons—
Even if others wanted to be envious, they’d have no grounds to be.
The two chatted idly for a while.
A short while later—
Wei Xiuwen and i Zhen walked in through the main hall doors. Both bowed to Wei Tu and i Yuanfeng, then stood respectfully in the hall.
“There’s sothing I’d like to ask Father to approve.” After standing quietly for a mont, Wei Xiuwen hesitated, then finally plucked up his courage and looked at Wei Tu, voicing his request.
From the mont Wei Xiuwen entered, Wei Tu had already sensed he had sothing on his mind, so he wasn’t surprised in the slightest by this developnt.
“My breakthrough to Foundation Establishnt may have relied on… the Foundation Establishnt Pill you gave , Father, but over these past years, the i Clan has also supported my cultivation heavily…”
“That’s why I’ve decided—I’m willing to remain here in the i Clan to protect them…”
“Please forgive your unfilial son!”
Wei Xiuwen gritted his teeth as he said this.
After all, Wei Tu only had one son—him.
Back when he was still at Qi Refinent stage, the path of cultivation was rough, and it was understandable that he chose to marry into the Xia Ya i Clan.
But now, Wei Tu had gained quite a reputation in Zheng Kingdom’s cultivation world. How could he still allow his only son to remain as a live-in son-in-law of the i Clan?
It wasn’t that his father was ungrateful—
Rather, the i Clan’s kindness could easily be repaid with spirit stones. There was no need for him to remain their son-in-law forever.
“This matter—I agree.”
Wei Tu’s answer ca quickly, unexpectedly catching both Wei Xiuwen and the i Clan cultivators off guard. He didn’t hesitate, and what he said didn’t match what they had imagined at all.
“You agree?” i Yuanfeng was surprised.
If he were in Wei Tu’s shoes, he definitely wouldn’t have let his only son stay on as a son-in-law.
“Back then, when you married i Zhen of the i Clan, I thought you were just seizing a chance to turn your life around…”
“Now it seems—I was wrong.”
Wei Tu slowly shook his head.
People change and grow.
Decades ago, when Wei Xiuwen had married i Zhen, he had believed his son’s motives weren’t pure.
But because Wei Xiuwen was his son, and the marriage was beneficial to his cultivation path, Wei Tu hadn’t said much. He had only warned him with a single line—
“Life isn’t a gamble. Once might be acceptable, but never twice.”
Ti flew by.
Seventy or eighty years had passed.
Now, Wei Xiuwen had learned what it ant to take responsibility. He was willing to bear the consequences of the impulsive decision he had made all those years ago.
That’s why, after reaching Foundation Establishnt today, he had the courage to admit his choice to stay and protect the i Clan.
To Wei Tu, this was sothing to celebrate. At least his son wasn’t like Li Xingye in the past—soone who refused to take responsibility and ultimately brought disaster to his entire clan.
After all, being a “son-in-law” was not a favorable title for a Foundation Establishnt cultivator.
It invited mockery from fellow cultivators.
“I helped you because you are your mother’s son—and mine. That’s all.”
Wei Tu spoke again.
To him, helping his child because he expected sothing in return wasn’t real family love.
That would make the relationship one of investor and recipient.
And based on that understanding—
Wei Tu chose to respect Wei Xiuwen’s decision.
Just like he had respected Wei Xiuwen’s choice to marry into the i Clan for the sake of cultivation all those years ago.
—The motives could be impure, but one’s actions must never be base or disgraceful.
“Thank you for understanding, Father.”
Tears filled Wei Xiuwen’s eyes as he knelt down, bowing deeply to Wei Tu.
He knew how incredibly fortunate he was to have Wei Tu as a father.
At the start of his cultivation journey, his father had helped him avoid ending up like Fu Lin.
After helping him reach Foundation Establishnt, he didn’t interfere with his life—instead, he respected his decisions.
“Father… your daughter-in-law… before long, we’ll try for a child. The first one will carry the Wei surna. The second can take the i na.”
Seeing Wei Xiuwen kneel down, i Zhen also followed suit, kneeling beside him and making a solemn promise.
She knew that Wei Xiuwen had held a grudge for many years because she had refused to bear children.
—Back when Wei Xiuwen’s mother passed away, her greatest wish had been to see her son’s children and live to see three generations under one roof.
“You two can decide that yourselves. I won’t interfere.”
Wei Tu shook his head.
He helped Wei Xiuwen because he was his son. That connection was enough.
But when it ca to the descendants of the Wei Clan…
He no longer had the energy—or obligation—to help them.
Since he didn’t plan to help his future descendants—
Then whether they carried the Wei surna or not had nothing to do with him.
After all, he wasn’t an ordinary man.
He was soone with a lifespan reaching several centuries—a long-lived cultivator.
Previous Chapter || Next Chapter
User Comments
0 comments from readers